Rape Crisis South London and 100 others have written to the Prime Minister urging him to urgently close a loophole in the extreme pornography legislation in England & Wales which permits the possession of pornography depicting rape.

Recent research found that, of the top 50 accessible ‘rape porn’ sites found through a Google search, 78% advertise content depicting simulated rape of under 18 year olds (eg “schoolgirl rape”). Of the top ten Google search results for ‘free porn’ half the websites host free rape pornography. Sites include terms like ‘brutal rape’, ‘real rape’ and ‘savage rape’ in their web addresses (1).

The letter to David Cameron refers to the recent convictions of Mark Bridger and Stuart Hazell, who had both used violent and misogynistic pornography as part of their murders of young girls, and draws attention to the fact that the possession of rape pornography is already criminalised in Scotland where law-makers took its harm into account when legislating.

Research conducted by Rape Crisis South London into freely available online ‘rape porn’ found descriptions including ‘young schoolgirls abducted and cruelly raped. Hear her screams’; ‘little schoolgirl raped by teacher’; ‘tiny girl sleep rape’; and ‘girl raped at gunpoint’. A disturbing further breakdown of the research is here below at footnote (2).

Rape Crisis South London campaigner Fiona Elvines, who has conducted research into what is currently available online legally in England and Wales, said:

“The 2008 legislation on extreme pornography was brought in to address the way the internet had changed the distinctions between publishing, distributing and possessing some kinds of pornography. It intended to protect the public from harm by criminalising the possession of pornography which depicts life-threatening injury, serious injury to anus/breasts/genitals, bestiality or necrophilia (3).

“It is a serious omission not to have included images depicting rape and other non-consensual acts as they did in Scotland. This is not about making a distinction between real and simulated rape and child sexual abuse, with the latter being perfectly lawful to possess as long as it is ‘fantasy’ and actors are over 18. Permitting the possession of depictions of sexual violence as entertainment glorifies, trivialises and normalises such abuse – at a time when government statistics estimate that 85,000 women and girls are raped each year.”

The letter to the Prime Minister also cites the recent report of the Children’s Commissioner on young people’s, especially boys’, exposure to pornography and its links to harmful attitudes and behaviours (4). It asks David Cameron to consider reform in order that other Government work on tackling violence against women and girls is not undermined. Deputy Children’s Commissioner, Sue Berelowitz, has signed the letter to the PM.

EVAW Coalition Director Holly Dustin said:

“The government has promised to take action to prevent sexual and other violence before it happens and has taken some positive steps. However, if it is really serious about keeping its promise it must look at the cultural backdrop against which women and girls are abused. ‘Rape porn’ glorifies sexual violence and undermines the government’s work (5).

“It sends a contradictory message about the seriousness with which sexual violence is taken. We support this important campaign and urge the Prime Minister to act urgently to close this loophole.”

Professor Clare McGlynn of Durham University, an expert in this area of law (6), said:

“The extreme pornography legislation is in urgent need of reform. The current law excludes the vast majority of pornographic images of rape. This is not a simplistic argument about rape pornography causing rape. It is undeniable that the proliferation and tolerance of such images and the messages they convey contributes to a cultural climate where sexual violence is condoned.

“Closing this loophole would not be difficult. Together with Erika Rackley at Durham University we have drafted changes to the law, and we believe that there would be huge public support for a swift change in the law. We await the Prime Minister’s response.”

ENDS

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON (RASASC) has been the Rape Crisis Centre for South London since 1985. It is an independent organisation based in Croydon providing a high standard of professional, specialist support to female survivors of sexual violence. RASASC provides the national Rape Crisis helpline on 0808 802 9999 for female survivors of sexual violence, calling from anywhere in England and Wales. RASASC also provides Face to Face Counselling and ISVA Advocacy for female survivors in the London boroughs of boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth.

The Rape Crisis Campaign is supported by the End Violence Against Women Coalition -the UK’s largest coalition of organisations working to eradicate violence against women and girls; members include Eaves, Fawcett Society, Forward, Imkaan, Jewish Women’s Aid, Newham Asian Women’s Project, Rape Crisis England and Wales, Standing Together, Women in Prison, WRC, The Women’s Institute, Amnesty International UK and the TUC.

Notes to editors:

1. The loophole in legislation means that alongside images of rape, simulations of incest and child sexual abuse are freely, legally accessible in England and Wales as long as all participants in the image can be identified through digital imaging as being 18 or over, regardless of young appearance or contextual factors.

Research conducted by Rape Crisis South London from 2011 onwards, which was commissioned following Rape Crisis service users reporting to Rape Crisis that rapists had told them they were going to video the offence, found that:

5. Government figures estimate that every year more than 400,000 women are sexually assaulted and 85,000 women are raped in England and Wales. Over a third of rapes involve a victim under the age of 16.

This press release has been circulated by the EVAW Coalition on behalf of Rape Crisis South London. Rape Crisis South London is a member of the EVAW Coalition. The EVAW Coalition firmly supports this campaign to criminalise the possession of rape pornography.